Importing `.xyz` structure with `ase` does not respect `pbc`

[mbercx]

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Describe the bug

When trying to import an e.g. 2D structure from an .xyz file that correctly specifies the periodic boundary conditions (pbc), verdi data core.structure import ase does not respect pbc.

Steps to reproduce

(aiida-dev) mbercx@theospc46:~/envs/aiida-dev/data/structures$ more As-2D.xyz
2
Lattice="3.6086769266 0.0 0.0 -1.8043384633 3.1252058924 0.0 0.0 0.0 21.3114930844" pbc="True True False"
As           1.8043384632       1.0417352974      11.3518747709
As          -0.0000000002       2.0834705948       9.9596183135
(aiida-dev) mbercx@theospc46:~/envs/aiida-dev/data/structures$ verdi data core.structure import ase As-2D.xyz 
  Successfully imported structure As2 (PK = 16307)
(aiida-dev) mbercx@theospc46:~/envs/aiida-dev/data/structures$ verdi shell
Python 3.9.16 (main, Dec  7 2022, 01:11:58) 
Type 'copyright', 'credits' or 'license' for more information
IPython 8.12.0 -- An enhanced Interactive Python. Type '?' for help.

In [1]: load_node(16307).pbc
Out[1]: (True, True, True)

Expected behavior

The periodic boundary conditions should be respected, i.e. I'd expect:

In [1]: load_node(16307).pbc
Out[1]: (True, True, False)

Your environment

• Operating system [e.g. Linux]: Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS
• Python version [e.g. 3.7.1]: Python 3.9.16
• aiida-core version [e.g. 1.2.1]: v2.3.0 (release branch)

Additional context

Possibly related to https://github.com/aiidateam/aiida-core/issues/3476 Encountered while testing https://github.com/aiidateam/aiida-quantumespresso/pull/907

[mbercx]

Seems to be an ASE problem:

In [1]: from ase import io

In [2]: at = io.read('As-2D.xyz')

In [3]: at.pbc
Out[3]: array([ True,  True,  True])

[mbercx]

Opened a PR:

https://gitlab.com/ase/ase/-/merge_requests/2876

With those changes it seems to work fine:

(aiida-core) mbercx@theospc46:~/envs/aiida-core/data/structures$ verdi data core.structure import ase As-2D.xyz 

  Successfully imported structure As2 (PK = 1549)
(aiida-core) mbercx@theospc46:~/envs/aiida-core/data/structures$ verdi shell

Python 3.9.16 (main, Dec  7 2022, 01:11:58) 
Type 'copyright', 'credits' or 'license' for more information
IPython 7.34.0 -- An enhanced Interactive Python. Type '?' for help.

In [1]: load_node(1549).pbc
Out[1]: (True, True, False)

Once they merge and release we can update our dependencies and close this issue.

[mbercx]

Note that in case the pbc if differently (properly?) formatted:

Lattice="3.6086769266 0.0 0.0 -1.8043384633 3.1252058924 0.0 0.0 0.0 21.3114930844" pbc="T T F"

i.e. pbc="True True False" instead of pbc="T T F", the ase parsing works fine. So perhaps it's we who are to blame after all:

https://github.com/aiidateam/aiida-core/blob/fce1cd6d7da2b0241830cab30a83eb5ab978a16d/aiida/orm/nodes/data/structure.py#L1033-L1060

Also see https://gitlab.com/ase/ase/-/merge_requests/2876#note_1355561967

[mbercx]

Note: Seems the extxyz format should accept True/False as well for booleans, so nothing wrong with our exporter:

https://github.com/libAtoms/extxyz#logicalboolean

[mbercx]

My PR into ASE got merged, just waiting for a release now. Then we can update the version specifier and we should be good to go. 🚀